With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on!

And why form a new club over this? This is the least of the clubs 'issues' over the last so many years.

With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on!

Until clubs start standing up to the RFL then they will continue to steam roller all over the teams outside SL.
What has always made me wonder, is why collectively all the clubs outside SL have never got together and mounted any sort of challenge to the RFL as a group, rather than the odd club individually. It shows that they are as spineless as the RFL.
By 'teaming' with a SL club is selling out, losing your identity etc etc, and is caving into what the SL clubs wanted years ago. There are many failings of player development at SL clubs, yet development seems stronger at Championship and Championship 1 level. The SL want a slice of this, without little investment, and more money from the SKY coeffers to go into the back pockets of the players and the people running the clubs. It boild down to one word 'GREED'.
Could you imagine any of the NRL clubs not running grades below the first team? A joke. And to team up with Salford....theres only one winner there, and it isn't us.

I cant say i am in favour of another form of dual reg as this is what it seems like, but if all the other CC clubs want to go down this road and your club does not then you are never going to have a level playing field.The amount of money in the lower divisions is getting harder to find ,lets face it who is going to sponser a club with less than 4/500 supporters when times are hard.Maybe its time for a rethink or other alternatives.

I wish I could share your sentiment TAOHAF. We do have the potential, but the club can only do so much, it's the system that will continue to fail clubs outside SL - and that is why ALL clubs should of stuck to fingers up at every SL club wishing to use them as a feeder club. But clubs with little ambition and development jumped on the bandwagon before it had even had chance to park. I personally think it's too late to change anything now, what is done is done, and the game is much more poorer for it. As a supporter/volunteer for over 25 years, I have feel that I have watched my last game of rugby league.

I wish I could share your sentiment TAOHAF. We do have the potential, but the club can only do so much, it's the system that will continue to fail clubs outside SL - and that is why ALL clubs should of stuck to fingers up at every SL club wishing to use them as a feeder club. But clubs with little ambition and development jumped on the bandwagon before it had even had chance to park. I personally think it's too late to change anything now, what is done is done, and the game is much more poorer for it. As a supporter/volunteer for over 25 years, I have feel that I have watched my last game of rugby league.

That's a really sad statement Oldhamer, particularly given the passionate debates we've had on here over the years.

It is, and enjoyed the banter,debates and disagreements - something that makes our game standout from others.
Last year, the passion was dwlindling as was the drive to enjoy rugby league, but since the season has finished and you step back and look how the game is evolving - it's something I personally do not want to be involved in. To be involved in any sport, there has to be a goal at the end of it, whether it be survival, promotion or being crowned champions - and with promotion to SL being a lottery, and survival in SL not an option, the main goal for all clubs outside SL is financial survival - and without the prizes of promotion, there is no real glory, just a dead rubber.
It stems deeper than professional level, and I have said before. After Christmas, Oldham will have no paid personnel in post from the RFL developing the game within schools etc. The people who are currently in post have done a fanstastic job, and continue to do so despite the circumstances that will befall them. If the RFL cannot see that a town like Oldham need people like that in post, and continue to cost cut in areas of high development to help sustain the game in 'other' areas with no game history i.e. Birmingham, Coventry etc- then they will reap what they will sow. It's not just happening at Oldham, its happening at other towns steeped on history, and continued game growth. It really stinks.

We already have a squad of about 20 players who have signed for OLDHAM. I don't like the idea of dual reg players but it is what it is. Why will it make us a feeder club? We will play those 20 players in Oldham shirts at a ground in Oldham. If some of Scott Naylors old colleagues at Salford want to help out at training or let use use some facilities then what is so bad about that. We have to face facts. We may have potential but we are a Championship one side with poor facilities and no assets. We can't stand up to anyone at the moment.

but we don't need salford help...........and the moment they are struggling to help themselves.....as a salford fan said on the main TRL messageboard...salford are "one bad announcement" from playing in the same competition than us!

also correct me if im wrong but don't we have access to all of OCL's training facilties??.......i seriously doubt salford can provide better!

Why will the standard be lower? Oxford, etc are signing players who used to play for us and SL clubs have been farming out younger players on loan for years. We have also signed players from various academies when they were told they probably wouldn't make it in SL.

So our team will still be the same mix of young potential and a few old boys?

With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on!

It stems deeper than professional level, and I have said before. After Christmas, Oldham will have no paid personnel in post from the RFL developing the game within schools etc. The people who are currently in post have done a fanstastic job, and continue to do so despite the circumstances that will befall them. If the RFL cannot see that a town like Oldham need people like that in post, and continue to cost cut in areas of high development to help sustain the game in 'other' areas with no game history i.e. Birmingham, Coventry etc- then they will reap what they will sow. It's not just happening at Oldham, its happening at other towns steeped on history, and continued game growth. It really stinks.

The RFL is cutting staff all over. The Sport England money has dried up and there isn't any other money. The RFL have took the view that Oldham will survive without staff but the Midlands (1 or 2 guys who now cover everything from derby to Northampton to Cornwall) need help. It's not great but they have lost the funding.

With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on!

Why will the standard be lower? Oxford, etc are signing players who used to play for us and SL clubs have been farming out younger players on loan for years. We have also signed players from various academies when they were told they probably wouldn't make it in SL.

So our team will still be the same mix of young potential and a few old boys?

The group of players that have gone to Oxford have already proven they are not good enough to win promotion from this league even when there are 4 places up for grabs. Lets not bull this league up to be anything it is not.I was going to post about the positive news about the Regenda link up in the Limehurst area, but the news of a potential link up with any SL club has just taken the wind out of my sails. The RFL are systematically killing the game off in this town. They are doing it at junior level by engineering the demise of the service area, and this is another nail in the coffin for the pro game in the town.